The special access marketplace provides dedicated high-capacity connections that serve voice and data needs for smaller carriers, large businesses and government through lease agreements with larger telecommunications providers. In 1999, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to deregulate the special access marketplace, which has helped to spur growth and innovation in all areas of telecommunications. […]
Recovery Act Broadband Funds: Boon or Bust
When he signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) or stimulus, President Obama promised that the $862 billion expenditure of taxpayer dollars would provide jobs and improve the economy. Everyone has heard about the “shovel-ready jobs,” and seen signs along the highway touting the use of ARRA funds for improvements, but beyond roadwork loans to failing solar companies like Solyndra, there were many other outlets for stimulus funds.
Chevy Volts Fail to Electrify Customers
In the movie Field of Dreams, Kevin Costner’s character, Ray Kinsella, is on the brink of bankruptcy and debates whether or not it is completely absurd to build a baseball field in his cornfield and expect people to come watch games played by ghosts of former players. In a famous scene, Kinsella is walking in his backyard when he hears a mysterious voice call out, “if you build it, they will come.”
A Vice Presidential Comparison
With the presidential election just around the corner and the lion’s share of media attention going to the nominees, we at Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) thought it might make sense to shed some light on the candidates for Vice President. On November 6, one of these men will be elected President of the Senate and the second most prominent member of the Executive Branch. He will be first in line to assume the highest office in the land, a transition that has occurred without an election nine times.
Weatherization—Money Continues to Pour
It has been three and a half years since Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), and the wasted money in this bill has taken its toll on taxpayers. President Obama and cheerleaders for the $838 billion stimulus promised it would be the antidote to a floundering economy, creating anywhere from “thousands and thousands” of jobs to 3.5 million jobs, depending upon which Obama administration spokesperson was making the rounds on the Sunday morning talk shows.
Sequestration: The Sky is Not Falling
On August 2, 2011, Congress passed the Budget Control Act (BCA), which raised the debt limit, cut $917 billion in federal spending over 10 years, and established the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (the “super committee”). The super committee was supposed to produce legislation by November 23, 2011 to further reduce spending by at least $1.5 trillion over 10 years.
Coburn Report Reveals Waste
During his 17 years as a senator and representative, Senator Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) has established himself as a staunch opponent of frivolous federal spending. His annual Wastebook has regularly provided valuable information for taxpayers regarding the specific ways the federal government wastes money. Released in October, Wastebook 2012 highlights 100 projects costing taxpayers more than $18 billion.
Amtrak: Throw Money from the Train
Since 1971, the federal government has been subsidizing the for-profit passenger rail system Amtrak. The company received $1.4 billion in 2012, and the House of Representatives increased its appropriation to $1.8 billion for fiscal year (FY) 2013. With a trillion dollar deficit and the national debt at a record $16.2 trillion, federal funding for Amtrak […]
The American Infrastructure Crisis
During rush hour on August 1st, 2007, the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge collapsed, killing 13 people and injuring 145 more. This disaster triggered widespread talk about America’s crumbling infrastructure, an issue that has been put on the backburner amidst the Great Recession. Annually, the United States spends approximately $200 billion on surface infrastructure, though it is not nearly enough to combat collapsing bridges and congested roads.
Spectrum Auction Options Abound
An op-ed by Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski was published on September 16, 2012 in TechCrunch.com, explaining why additional spectrum is so critical to the economy. Highlighting the job creation impact of improved mobile broadband capabilities in the U.S., and citing the growing “apps economy,” which alone has created nearly 500,000 jobs, Chairman Genachowski estimated that nearly 1.6 million U.S. jobs have been created over the past five years due to innovations in mobile technology.